Subaru Legacy and Outback – All-new versions make ASEAN debuts
The all-new sixth-generation Subaru Legacy and its crossover estate derivative, the Subaru Outback, makes its ASEAN debut at Bangkok today in conjunction with this year’s Thai Motor Expo that is set to begin tomorrow.
In a slight tweak of the model line-up, Subaru will be offering the Legacy exclusively with a sedan bodystyle. The Legacy wagon is discontinued with this model generation, meaning customers wanting an estate body will by default be given the raised crossover ride height of the Outback. The needs for a lower-riding estate will be served by the sportier Impreza-based Levorg that debuted in last year’s Tokyo Motor Show.
Both the Legacy and Outback continues Subaru’s legendary devotion to the Boxer engine and Symmetrical all-wheel drive, each coming with a choice of two horizontally-opposed engines, a 2.5-litre four-cylinder and 3.6-litre six-cylinder. A 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol is available exclusively for the Chinese market, whilst Europe will have the option of a diesel engine.
The Malaysian market is set to receive the Outback in 2.5i-S guise, powered by the naturally-aspirated FB25 flat four carried over from the predecessor model. With over 80% of its components reworked, however, it is effectively a new engine, albeit one that sticks with conventional port fuel injection. According to Subaru, the engine’s significantly enhanced internals help it achieve simultaneous improvements in both fuel economy and performance, with claimed outputs of 173hp and 235Nm.
Both engines are paired with Subaru’s latest generation Lineartronic CVT incorporating improvements in its torque converter, oil pump, and forward-reverse mechanism for smoother operation. The transmission is an in-house design – Subaru’s unique engine-drivetrain architecture mean that suitable gearboxes cannot be bought off the shelf from established transmission makers.
Complementing the superior traction of Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive systems, handling of the Legacy and Outback are further boosted by a commendable array of electronic driver aids including electronic stability control and active torque vectoring. The Outback gets an additional X-Mode programme, which optimizes engine, driveline, and braking behavior on slippery surfaces – in practice, it is an extension of the vehicle’s stability control system for mild sand and gravel.
First Driving Impressions
Shortly after the launch event of the two cars at Bangkok’s Impact Exhibition Centre where the Thai Motor Expo is also set to be held, we were given a couple of rounds behind the wheels of both the Legacy and Outback. The drive was conducted in confined surroundings and limited to very low speeds, so a comprehensive review of its driving performance is not possible.
First impressions in the flesh is that they are relatively handsome if inoffensive-looking vehicles. Subaru models of late have went a little more mainstream in their styling and have forsaken the edgier oddball appearances that defined their predecessors – this writer still holds the fourth-generation Legacy as his personal favourite. Anybody else share our nostalgia for the good old days of frameless door Scoobies?
The driving programme, as you would expect from such a tightly controlled course, served to enhance the dynamic strengths rather than magnify any weaknesses of our test vehicles. Both cars negotiated the slalom course without fuss, and there’s even a hint of playfulness from the tail which was ever so ready to swing sideways only for the traction of its AWD system to quickly straighten up.
Unlike the boy racer Impreza WRXs roaming your neighbourhood, the FB25 here is an impressively quiet operator – from inside, it was almost inaudible on idle. Its power delivery was pleasantly smooth and linear – a characteristic which Subaru claims it wants to achieve by using a larger displacement engine rather than going with trends and plonking in a smaller turbocharged unit, which the company has more than enough at its disposal. The CVT also appears intelligently calibrated to shift its ratios in steps during hard acceleration, thus avoiding the ‘rubber band’ sensation which most CVTs are criticized for.
Most impressive perhaps was putting the Outback through an obstacle course typically reserved for pick-up trucks and SUVs. Over the uneven surfaces, the Outback’s suspension showed impressive travel and pliancy that would rival many a proper SUV.
Subaru’s distributor in the region, Motor Image, currently plans to introduce the Outback 2.5i-S into Malaysia by April 2015. The Legacy will not be offered, as the company does not feel inclined to plunge into a highly-competitive and congested D-segment market against established heavyweights; the Outback on the other hand, which considers crossover estates such as the Volvo XC70, Volkswagen Passat AllTrack, and Audi A4 AllRoad as its most direct rivals, enters a relatively unpopulated niche.
